The Unexpected
by Perfection Inc
Summary: Natasha used to like the unexpected, it made things interesting. Now that she was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent it usually meant that things had gone badly. Takes place before Winter Solider. One shot when she and Steve go on a mission and things go a little sideways. Romanogers!


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just love Natasha and Steve. This isn't a romance story, but it is Romanogers. A little hurt/comfort one shot. No beta. Hope you guys like it!

* * *

Natasha used to love the unexpected. It always gave her a rush of excitement. That was before she became a S.H.I.E.L.D agent and had responsibilities. That was before she became partners with Captain America. Now, the unexpected was less exciting and usually meant something had gone wrong.

They were on an assignment and the man power they were up against had been greatly underestimated. She and Steve had barely gotten away during an explosion at the compound far outside of a small town in Germany. Thankfully in the confusion that followed it didn't seem that they were being pursued, at least for the moment.

Natasha knew that Steve had been injured worse that he admitted by the fact that he was barely keeping up with her. They had been running for what seemed like hours, but they couldn't stop until they found some cover. It wouldn't be long before someone figured out that she and Steve had not perished in the explosion and they would come looking for whatever it was in the bad slung over her shoulder.

Fury had not disclosed the nature of the item, just that they should retrieve it. She had cracked the safe easily enough and grabbed the small metal box it had contained; everything after that had not gone smoothly. She felt the weight of the bag bouncing against her back as she continued running. Up ahead she could see what looked like a concrete structure peeking through the tops of the trees.

"Come on Cap, this way!" She cried over her shoulder.

Steve merely grunted in response and continued forward, his boots thundering against the cold ground.

Whatever the building had been used for, it apparently had been sitting dormant for quite some time. There was some large heavy machinery inside, layered with a large amount of dust and grim. It had also been tagged often, many different layers of brightly colored spray paint. Different parts of words or phrases popping through each other.

The rain began to pour as soon as they made it inside the large building. She was thankful for the rain; it would make it hard for them to be tracked as their footprints would practically disappear.

Natasha gasped for air as she leaned against the nearest wall. Her legs were screaming in protest and she had to catch herself from falling.

Steve had not been so lucky. She heard the crash and clank of his shield as it hit the ground, he followed soon after.

"Steve!" She cried and dropped by his side. She struggled to pull his heavy form onto his back.

She could now see how badly he had been hurt during the chaos back at the compound. Parts of his stealth suit had been burned and seared into his skin. There were small nicks and gashing all along his body, she felt her heart drop when her eyes fell upon the large crimson spot on his side.

A large shard of shrapnel was protruding out of his torso. She tentatively examined the wound. Steve cried out and his body jerked at the slight pressure.

"Sorry," Natasha found Steve's face had tightened and his eyes were clenched shut. "Is this the worst of it?" She asked.

Steve took a shallow breath and replied, "I think so."

Natasha sat for a moment, studying his face. When his eyes finally opened, they were a dull blue. There was a layer of sweat and grime on his skin. She could tell by the rise and fall of his chest that he had a few broken ribs. There was a nasty gash across his forehead that ran into his hair line. The bleeding at his hairline had stopped and she could tell it had already started to heal on its own.

Natasha needed to find something to clean out the wounds and remove that piece of shrapnel. She cleared her throat, "I'll be back. I'm going to find anything we can use. Don't go anywhere."

Steve's voice was quiet, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Natasha moved silently through the building. She found some form of administration office but there was no first aid kit anywhere. She would have to make do with the supplies in her belt. She did find some long forgotten clothes strewn about. Someone had obviously been living in the building, but they hadn't been for some time. They were clean enough, at least to be used as bandages. She needed water, but never believed she would be so lucky. She wasn't, but she did find some buckets. She grabbed the cleanest one and found her way onto the roof. She let it sit for a moment and fill a few inches with rain water and pulled it back inside. She cleaned it out the best she could and dumped the dirty water out and set the bucket back outside. It was raining hard enough that it didn't take long for the bucket to fill with water. She grabbed it and the clothes and made her way back to Steve.

True to his word, he hadn't moved. Natasha was disturbed by this. He was exactly where he had fallen, on the dusty dirty floor. His eyes were closed again, but she could tell he wasn't unconscious. He had managed to remove his cowl, so that was at least something.

"Steve," Natasha gently sat down the bucket of water and eased herself down beside him.

His eyes slowly opened and they were unfocused. Natasha cursed and shook her head. "How long does it take you to heal from a concussion?"

"Not sure," Steve replied quietly. "I hope not long."

Natasha reached behind her and pulled a survival kit off her belt. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is good for something." She smiled and rummaged until she found the water cleaning tablets she was looking for. Steve didn't respond as she dropped them into the bucket of water. "Should only take a few minutes," She spoke the words out loud, just trying to engage Steve. She began ripping up one of the shirts she had found into long strips. She hoped she had enough that she would be able to bind Steve's ribs so they could heal properly. Steve was a super solider, but his body healed faster when it had help. Healing broken bones when they weren't properly set took longer. They didn't have that kind of time. Steve needed to be ready to move and possibly fight in a matter of hours. She didn't know what kind of time table they were working on. Their communication devises had been knocked out by the blast, so they had no way of contacting .S.H.I.E.L.D. for an extraction. They would have to find the closet safe house, but to do that Natasha would have to figure out where they were first.

Natasha tested the treated water and trusted that it was safe. She cupped her hand and drank a few handfuls. Natasha was going to offer a drink to Steve but his eyes had slipped back closed and his breathing was deep.

She hoped he would stay unconscious until she was able to pull out the shrapnel, but once again she wasn't that lucky. His eyes had shot open the moment she tried to cut and remove the charred bits of his steal suit surrounding the wound.

"Easy," She cooed; her hands on his firm chest. "Can you look at me?"

Steve swallowed a short breath and his blue eyes found hers. "Natasha?" His voice was quiet.

"Steve," She smiled back. "Do you remember what happened?"

He licked his dry lips and furrowed his brow, "There was an explosion…" It sounded more like a question than an answer, but at least he remembered.

"Yeah," She replied. "You got hurt pretty badly, and I need to clean you up a bit. It's not going to be pleasant."

"It never is," He replied back, his eyes now more focused. "Just do it."

Natasha set back to work and tried to get it done as quickly as possible and to avoid causing any more damage. She pulled out all the smaller pieces of debris and metal before she moved to the larger piece. She wanted to be able to immediately apply pressure to the larger wound once the shrapnel was out. Steve did his best to not move or shrink away from her hands, but he cried out when she firmly pulled on the largest shard of shrapnel protruding from his side.

Natasha always hated the sound the body makes when something like that is removed. It is this sickening suction sound. She ignored it and Steve's cry of agony and pushed forward. She applied pressure to the wound with the strips of bandages she had made. It was bleeding freely now, but she knew it would stop soon. She had seen Steve heal amazingly fast after the battle of New York. He had been up and about well before the rest of them had shaken off the fog let alone their various bumps and bruises.

She watched Steve's face as she tested to see if the wound had stopped bleeding. "Do I need to stitch this up?"

Steve licked his lips? "How deep is it?" he asked, unable to get a good view of it himself.

"Pretty deep, but I don't think that it hit anything vital." She said confidently.

"If you stitch it up," He clenched his hands open and shut, "It will heal faster."

"Ok, then." Natasha pulled a small pouch from her first aid kit and removed a small vial no longer than her pinky. She opened the vial and poured the contents along the wound. She pressed the bottom of the empty vial and a small flame erupted. "This is going to sting a lot."

"What is that?" Steve's words barely got out before the flame shot across the liquid along his wound. He cried out again and arched his back. It did sting like Hell, but the wound had been sealed immediately, with no needle and thread. "What the hell was that?" He gasped.

"Something the techs have been working on." Natasha inspected the skin, "It seems to work pretty well. I'll have to let them know when we get back."

Steve just stared at her, "A little warning would have been nice."

"It was better this way," Natasha insisted. "Less time for you to question it and now it's over." She actually managed a small smile. "Would you really rather I stitch you up with a needle and thread? Yes, this probably hurt a lot, but it was over in a matter of seconds."

Steve grumbled. She had a valid point, but he still wished she had warned him. "Thanks," that was all he decided to say.

"You want me to bind your ribs?" She asked as she poured water from the bucket over her hands to remove the blood.

"Can I get some water first?" Steve's voice was scratchy.

She nodded and watched as Steve pulled himself up into a seating position; it took a moment for his head to stop spinning. She moved the bucket over next to him and he reached in and scooped up some with his hands and gulped it down.

"Are you hurt?" Steve's voice pulled her from her thought she hadn't noticed she had gotten lost in.

"No," She answered quickly.

"You're sure?" Steve watched her.

"Yeah," She tested her left wrist. "Just a little stiff; nothing to be worried about." She looked down at the dirty floor. "You took the brunt of the blast anyway."

"Yeah, well," He tapped his shield, "I never leave home without it."

They were silent for a moment then Natasha cleared her throat. "I found some tarps and sacks just across the factory. It would be much more comfortable than this hard floor and we would have a better vantage point of the tree line…" She began.

"Ok," Steve replied. "Can you help me up?"

"I can try," She quipped. "I have a feeling you are heavier than you look."

Steve chuckled, but it actually took both of them to get him upright. He wasn't steady on his feet right away, so Natasha didn't pull away. She led him across to where she had found the tarps and what she thought were bags of canvas material. Steve stayed on his feet while she rearranged them and helped Steve ease back down.

He dropped with a solid thud, and groaned. "I think you should bind my ribs now."

* * *

Sometime later Steve was completely spent. The serum pumping through his veins was hard at work repairing the damage. It took a lot of energy, and it was going slower since he hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours.

Natasha was perched near the window as she watched the sun drop below the trees. Steve had slumped over and was snoring slightly. Natasha popped her neck and tried to easy the tension in her shoulders. She watched Steve's shoulders rise and fall and was startled by the thought that he looked peaceful. Something she had never thought of or seen for that matter.

It had been almost 6 months since Fury had partnered her with Steve. They hadn't worked well together right away. Steve didn't like the secrecy involved with working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and that was something Natasha thrived on, that was practically her entire existence. They butted heads a few times, but after a while they started to work well together. She had never noticed it before, but she couldn't remember ever seeing Steve look so peaceful. He didn't look like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She didn't know why, but that made her sad.

She was disappointed when Steve began mumbling, "Peggy….Peggy…where are you?"

Natasha moved to crouch in front of him, "Steve." She tried to shake him away. "Steve."

She gasped when he firmly gripped both her arms and pulled her to him. "Don't leave me please."

"Steve," She tried to pull away, but Steve was gripping her tighter. "Steve, wake up."

"I'm so sorry," He mumbled, his voice quivering.

It was obvious that Steve was having some sort of vivid dream or nightmare, and it made Natasha's skin crawl watching him this way. She gently reached out her arms and wrapped them around him.

"Shhh," She spoke softly. "It's going to be ok." Steve continued to mumble, but Natasha couldn't make out what he was saying. Natasha eased him down on his back and cupped his face with her hand. "Just get some rest."

She tried to pull herself away, but Steve wouldn't let her go; so she gave up. She sighed and remained next to him. Steve had clutched one of her hands tightly. She looked up at the dark ceiling as the last light of day faded. The rain continued to pour and Natasha's eyes slipped shut.

She didn't mean to fall asleep. She cursed at herself when her eyes shot open. Something had woken her and she felt panic rising in the back of her spin. She shifted her body and realized what had woken her. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and found that Steve had rolled on top of her.

He was soundly sleeping again, the crease had disappeared from his forehead and his shoulders were relaxed. She was thankful it wasn't his full weight on her, but enough of him was on her to make it impossible to move without waking him first. Natasha knew he would be embarrassed about it, so she decided to wait a bit and see if he moved enough for her to remove herself easily.

Natasha felt her cheeks flush at the thought of Steve's head resting beneath her chest. Natasha was not a naive school girl. She was well trained in the art of seduction, but there was something innocent and sweet about Steve that Natasha liked. She took every opportunity she could to tease him about that, but right now in this situation, Natasha was the one getting flushed.

Natasha meant what she had said to Loki months before, love is for children. She had been learning over that past few years that love comes in many different forms. Natasha truly believed that only children can love unconditionally. Love was something foreign to Natasha, and even though she was very good at hiding it, it sometimes made her lonely. She knew others had love, relationships, families; but those things were never something she had experienced. Until she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. she never even knew what real love looked like. Natasha could fake practically anything and everything when it came to making a man's heart go pitter patter for her, but she struggled with real relationships. The relationship she had been building with Clint over the years was her North Star. Their friendship was unfortunately sometimes the Guinee pig for Natasha to work out her feelings, but Clint always stood by her.

Natasha respected Steve as her partner; they wouldn't have been able to work together if she hadn't. It was the little things that had crept in first. Things she didn't even notice, like how Steve would sometimes bring her a coffee when they had an early start, or when he would grab an extra towel for her when they were training. She doubted Steve even thought about these little details, he was just a nice guy; but they had started to soften Natasha's heart. She wouldn't say she was in love with Steve, but she would say that she cared for him and that was a lot for Natasha. There weren't many people she did care about.

Natasha tried to take a deep breath, but Steve's weight made it harder to do so. The rain had stopped and the night was quiet. Natasha studied Steve's face in the moon light. She could not deny that Steve was a handsome man, and his physic could leave even Natasha breathless if she thought about it enough. Natasha did not let her mind wander down that path; it would make the situation even more awkward.

"I'm sorry….I was late…."Steve began to mumble in his sleep again, and the crease had returned to his forehead.

Steve tightened his grip on her and she gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Steve," She soothed. "It's ok. Just get some sleep."

Natasha did not remove her hand once he settled back down. Natasha suppressed a smile when Steve snuggled closer to her. They were both starved for warmth and compassion, and Natasha didn't have the heart to stop him. Natasha let them stay there, just holding each other.

* * *

Steve was restful for the next hour. Natasha studied his eyes as they began moving rapidly under his eyelids. She felt his grip loosen and she quickly pulled herself free from his grasp and rolled him onto his back. It was another few minutes before Steve's eyes slowly opened, but by then Natasha had perched herself back at the window as if she had been there all night.

"Ugh…" Steve groaned.

"How you feeling Sleeping Beauty?" Natasha smiled.

"I'm not dead," Steve replied as she rubbed his hands down his face. "Did you get any sleep?"

"We are gonna need to move." Natasha replied. "The rain stopped a few hours ago, so someone is bound to find of soon."

"Natasha." Steve looked at her.

"What?" She stood as she caught a glimpse of movement near the tree line.

"You alright?" Steve's question caught her off-guard but she didn't let it show.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied without missing a beat. "Now, on your feet Captain. We got to move."

"You sure you're alright?" Steve looked at her intently from the floor.

"Steve," She let her voice soften. "I really am fine, but we have hostiles approaching so I need you on your feet."

She helped Steve to his feet and placed his shield in his waiting hand. "Can you fight?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Steve replied as he leaned down and grabbed his cowl and placed it back on his head.

Natasha pulled the bag back over her shoulder and made her way back through the building.

"You know I'm gonna have a long talk with Fury when I get back about these missions." Steve said. "The unexpected can complicate… _things…"_ His voice trailed off.

They headed out into the early light and Natasha spoke with mischief in her voice. "Come on Cap. The unexpected is what makes all this fun."

The end


End file.
